Disposable suspended beverage infusion bag

ABSTRACT

A beverage infusion device for preparing a beverage in a single beverage container ( 700 ), comprises housing means ( 100, 101 ) and infusion means ( 200 ). The infusion means ( 200 ) is joined to the housing means by a thread ( 201 ). The housing means ( 100, 101 ) stores the infusion means ( 200 ) inside said housing means and, after said infusion means has been immersed into a fluid in the beverage container ( 700 ), permits pulling the infusion means back into the housing means and pressing excess fluid out of said infusion means by means of said thread ( 201 ). The housing means ( 100, 101 ) is further fitted with slots to fit onto the rim of the beverage container ( 700 ) while the beverage is prepared. The infusion means finally comprises a filter bag ( 200 ) containing an infusible substance for making the beverage. For total immersion into the fluid in the beverage container and free expansion therein, the device is configured so that the filter bag ( 200 ), from said storing position, is suspendable from inside the housing means ( 100, 101 ), hanging free therefrom in said thread ( 201 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The described subject matter relates generally to means for preparingbeverages, more particularly, it relates to infusion bags for preparinga single cup of coffee. Said infusion bag may be conveniently supportedby the rim of a cup, and suspended therein.

BACKGROUND

The use of packets for the preparing of essence containing beverages iscommonplace. For example, tea has been marketed in tea bags for manyyears and has enjoyed a great deal of commercial success.

Packets, particularly water-permeable packets, containing roast andground coffee are also old and well known in the art. Many attempts havebeen made to prepare a packet for the brewing of coffee in an attempt toduplicate the success of the tea bag but have not resulted in thecommercial success and ready acceptance of the tea bag.

There have been attempts in the beverage infusion art to provide aconveniant and effective filter bag for preparing coffee and tea. Also,there have been attempts in the art to provide a bag which is securelyfastened to the rim of the cup for contact with the water poured intothe cup, and which is suspended inside the cup away from the cup sidewalls for contact with the water in the cup. Also, there have beenattempts to provide such an infusion bag in an inexpensive and easilymanufactured package.

However, the coffee packets heretofore known in the art all had definitedisadvantages. For example, using the prior art coffee packets orpouches, the two terms being used here interchangeably, generallyproduced a very weak brew, primarily because the packet fabric inhibitedextraction. In order to produce a coffee brew from a packeted productwhich did not exhibit inhibited extraction and weak brewcharacteristics, the amount of ultra fine grind roast and ground coffeecontained in the pouch was increased to provide more acceptable flavourand strength characteristics.

Furthermore, increasing the amount of ultra fine roast and groundparticles was not without its own disadvantages. That is to say, byincreasing to a high level the amount of fine roast and ground coffeeparticles, the level of sediment and/or the amount of fines present inthe coffee beverage was substantially increased.

Consumers have expressed a great dislike for the increased level of potor cup sediment. Conversely, to reduce the level of sediment to anacceptable level required increasing the roast and ground coffeeparticle size which, in turn, brought about the heretofore describedfabric inhibiting effect which provided a brew which was unsatisfactoryin strength and flavour characteristics.

The ideal pouched coffee product would be one which produced a highlevel of extractability and therefore a cup of beverage of high strengthand flavour characteristics coupled with a total lack of cup or potsediment. Several recent approaches have been taken to solve thisproblem.

Furthermore one disadvantage of known prior art is that said coffeepackets are sticky and makes a mess when used.

SUMMARY

One object of the described subject matter is to provide a disposablebrewing device, for brewing e.g. coffee in single beverage containers,which is simple and easy to use but yet creates an exclusive atmosphere.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a brewing devicewhich will maintain hot water in contact with e.g. coffee grounds in thefilter, in such way that the produced coffee will present a better brewcharacteristic and less sediment than known prior art.

The present invention is a convenient and efficient brewing device fore.g. coffee, said brewing device comprising re-sealable means in theform of a housing, a so called drip-cup, with downwardly-facing slotsuch that said housing can be easily and securely fastened onto the rimof a beverage container. Said housing is also configured to adapt andstore therein a detachable infusion bag, consisting of at least oneporous squeezable filter bag. The infusion bag is releasable or movablefrom the storing position for immersion into a fluid in the beveragecontainer for preparation of the beverage.

When the slot of the housing is hooked over the rim of a beveragecontainer, the porous filter infusion bag is thus suspended inside ofsaid beverage container, hanging free from the housing and easilyavailable for water contact on all sides and freely expandable in thewater. The infusion bag can, after use, be pulled up into the drip-cupby means of the thread and excess water can be pressed out of theinfusion bag by pulling the infusion bag towards the top of the housingby means of the thread. Afterwards the drip-cup can be resealed in orderto avoid mess and stickiness. Thus, a simple, easy and user friendlybrewing device is obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the described subject matter willbecome apparent from the following detailed description and uponreference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the drip-cup,

FIG. 2 shows the infusion device,

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are perspective views of the drip-cup and infusiondevice assembly,

FIG. 6 shows the assembled device, and

FIG. 7 shows the brewing device in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted accordingto their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitlydefined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the [element, device,component, means, step, etc]” are to be interpreted openly as referringto at least one instance of said element, device, component, means,step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methoddisclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact orderdisclosed, unless explicitly stated.

Referring to the figures there is depicted, generally in FIG. 1-7, asingle bag embodiment of the brewing device. The brewing devicecomprises means in the form of a housing, a so called drip-cup, whichcomprises at least one side wall 101 and a top 100, wherein the topfurther comprises at least one platform 102 either for product labels oras pure advertising place. The drip-cup further comprises preferably twonotches 105 which are used, during manufacturing, for mounting thepick-up thread to the drip-cup.

Furthermore, the drip-cup can be fastened onto the rim of a drinkingvessel by preferably two downwardly-facing slots 103 in the at least oneside wall of the drip-cup. The length of said slots 103 are preferablychosen such that no part of the drip-cup will ever be immersed in waterduring preparation of a beverage.

The brewing device furthermore comprises a porous, squeezable infusiondevice or means in the form of a filter bag 200 which is partiallyfilled with infusable substance, like coffee or tea.

The filter bag 200 is joined to the drip-cup by means of a closed loopof thread 201. A thread 201 runs directly around the base 206 of thefilter bag, the thread furthermore extends inside the walls of thefilter bag and extends inside the walls of the drip-cup, and the twoloose thread ends connects, via holes 104 in the at least one side wall101 of the drip-cup to a pick-up tag 202 where they are assembled, thusresulting in a closed loop of thread. The pick-up tag is consequentlyplaced outside of said drip-cup. In one embodiment the thread isfastened to the filter bag at 207 so that the thread remains stable andunmoved throughout the brewing process. The length of the thread 201 issufficient for the infusion device to hang free from the drip-up duringbrewing, i.e. preferably entirely beneath said drip-cup. It shouldfurther be noted that the holes 104 for the thread 201 can alternativelybe located at the top 100 of the drip-cup.

The pick-up tag 202 is attached to the thread ends for conveniently, andmanually, picking up and containing the filter bag within the housingafter the infusion and also for efficiently pressing out excess waterfrom said filter bag by means of the thread after the infusion. The atleast one side wall 101 of the drip-cup can also be used for pressingout excess water from the filter bag 200 by e.g. gripping and movingportions thereof or opposing side walls towards each other and towardsthe intermediate filter bag.

The abovementioned filter bag further comprises at least onecompartment, or containment chamber, for holding a dose of thesubstance, like coffee or tea.

In yet another embodiment the filter bag is equipped with means such asa lath or a strip which prevents the filter bag from collapsing wheninserted into the fluid, so that the filter can be maintained in anexpanded position and so that e.g. the coffee can be agitated by thefluid and thereby retain a favourable brewing characteristic.

The brewing device may be made from conventional materials byconventional techniques for food packaging, however the housing for thevarious forms of embodiments can expediently be made in one piece, fromwater-repellent material, for example thermoplastic, or moulded plastic,or the like, or for environmental issues, baked, moulded pulp withbuilt-in water protection, such as an interior water repellentbio-degradable coating, paper/board fibre mould, vacuum formed polymersheet.

In yet another embodiment a self-preserving coffee bag unit, including afilter bag for the coffee, made by a filter paper body, tubular andsealed, holding an amount of coffee that is in a predefined ratio withthe internal capacity of the fiber bag, so it is filled only in part.

The filter bag 200 is stored inside a sealed and closely fitted housing,i.e. the drip-cup 100, 101, which isolates the bag from the surroundingair. Furthermore, the infusion device thus allows the filter bag 200 tobe packaged flat, to move from the storing position for immersion intohot water for preparation of a beverage and to expand on immersion intothe hot water. Disclosed is a wet laid, nonwoven web material havingstiffness and infusion properties suitable for use as an infusionconvenience package. The web material is suitable for use withconventional high speed automated packaging and heat sealing equipment.The web material may also be hydrophobic and comprise thermoplasticmaterial. The beverage infusion package can be formed of porous, fibrouscellulose material and has a closure seam 203, 204 and 205 produced byeither mechanical compression action with or without heat sealing.

Thus, the brewing device is configured such that when said device isused, one simply unfolds the filter bag 200, lets the filter bag falldown from its storing position, suspended from inside the drip-cup orhousing but hanging free therefrom in the thread 201, hooks the slots inthe housing over the rim of a drinking vessel, and adds warm fluid tothe cup such that the filter bag is totally immersed in the fluid andthereby fully free for expansion, while at the same time the housingremains dry.

When the beverage has been prepared, the filter bag 200 is easilyremoved and safely discarded by grasping the dry cool pick-up tag 202,connected to the thread ends which in turn forms a closed loop of thread201, via the holes 104 in the housing, and simply drag the infusion bagup, into the housing, eventually press excess fluid out of the infusionbag and then turn said housing up-side down, re-seal the cover anddiscard the entire brewing device into the trash bin.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a fewembodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled inthe art, other embodiments than those disclosed above are equallypossible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appendedpatent claims. As will be readily obvious, individual features of theforms of embodiment may be interchanged with or supplemented by featuresof other forms of embodiment.

It should be emphasized that the term comprises/comprising, when used inthis specification, is taken to specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps, or components, but does not preclude the presence, oraddition, of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, orgroups thereof.

1. A beverage infusion device for preparing a beverage in a singlebeverage container (700), said infusion device comprising housing means(100, 101) and infusion means (200), wherein the infusion means (200) isjoined to the housing means by means of a thread (201), wherein thehousing means (100, 101) is configured to store the infusion means (200)inside said housing means and, after said infusion means from saidstoring position has been immersed into a fluid in the beveragecontainer (700) for preparation of the beverage, to permit pulling theinfusion means back into the housing means and pressing excess fluid outof said infusion means by means of said thread (201), wherein thehousing means (100, 101) is fitted with slots (103) to fit onto the rimof the beverage container (700) while the beverage is prepared, andwherein the infusion means comprises at least one filter bag (200), saidfilter bag containing an infusible substance for making the beverage,wherein the device is configured so that the filter bag (200), from saidstoring position, is suspendable from inside the housing means (100,101), hanging entirely beneath said housing means and free therefrom insaid thread (201) for total immersion into the fluid in the beveragecontainer (700) while the housing means at the same time remains dry,and, when immersed into the fluid, freely expandable therein.
 2. Deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the length of the thread (201) is suchthat the filter bag (200) is suspended entirely beneath the housingmeans (100, 101) when the beverage is prepared.
 3. Device according toclaim 1, wherein the length of the slots (103) is such that no part ofthe housing means (100, 101) is immersed into the fluid in the beveragecontainer (700) when the beverage is prepared.
 4. Device according toclaim 1, wherein the thread (201) extends directly around the base (206)and along, or inside of, the side walls of said filter bag (200). 5.Device according to claim 1, wherein the ends of the thread (201) areassembled, via holes (104) in the housing means (100, 101), in a tag(202).
 6. Device according to claim 5, wherein said holes (104) areprovided in one or more side walls (101) of the housing means (100,101).
 7. Device according to claim 5, wherein said holes (104) areprovided at the top (100) of the housing means (100, 101).
 8. Deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the device has means forattaching/detaching the filter bag (200) to/from the housing means (100,101).
 9. Device according to claim 8, wherein said means for filter bag(200) to/from the housing means (100, 101) comprises notches (105) whichjoin the slots (103) with holes (104) for the thread (201).
 10. Deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the housing means (100, 101) iscompressible for pressing excess fluid out of the filter bag (200). 11.Device according to claim 10, wherein the housing means (100, 101)comprises at least one side wall (101) of which portions are movabletowards each other for pressing excess fluid out of the filter bag(200).
 12. Device according to claim 10, wherein the housing means (100,101) comprises a plurality of side walls and that opposing side wallsare movable towards each other for pressing excess fluid out of thefilter bag (200).
 13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the thread(201) is fastened to, or inside of, the side walls of the filter bag(200).